“We are doing what is necessary,” Helen said. “If you stay with Sarah, you will be nothing more than her shadow. A charity case.”

Derek took the phone from my hand.

He held it close to his face, his jaw tight.

“I am not working for you,” Derek said. “And I am not letting you control my life anymore. I don’t care about the partner track. I don’t care about the family name.”

“You have nothing without us,” Helen said.

“Then I have nothing,” Derek said. “But I’m going to build something anyway.”

He tapped the screen to end the call.

The server room fell silent again, save for the constant hum of the cooling fans.

Derek handed the phone back to me, his hand steady.

He turned his attention back to the technician.

“Unplug the laptop,” Derek told him. “Leave the bag. Leave the building.”

The technician didn’t hesitate.

He pulled the cable from his laptop, closed the lid, and stuffed the computer under his arm.

He scurried past us, his shoes squeaking on the concrete floor.

I watched him go, then turned to the main server console.